Page 6 of Sawyer

My fingers tapped nervously on the desk. The shelter would have the name and address of the guy who adopted Benny.

Maybe I could pretend I was dropping off some of Benny’s toys and find out…

Wait. Iwasa volunteer.

I didn’t need to lie; I could just ask them for the information.

I paused. Okay, who’s sounding like the psychopath now?

I looked up and saw Chris giving me a weird look. I really hoped he couldn’t tell what I was just thinking.

“Well, Lisa's judgment isn't exactly spot-on,” I said, looking Chris up and down with a teasing smirk.

“Hey!” Chris shot back with a laugh, shaking his head.

I watched as he tied on his apron, flipped the sign to ‘open,’ and settled in to wait for our first appointment of the day.

The anxious thoughts swirling in my head began to ease—at least a little.

If Lisa had handled Benny’s adoption, I could trust her judgment. She always made sure to do thorough background checks.

Benny was in good hands, and though it stung, I was genuinely happy he had finally found a forever home.

It was selfish of me to want him when I hadn’t even been able to adopt him in the first place.

Glancing at my phone, I saw the banking app had timed out. Right—I’d been in the middle of sending money to Michael.

He needed it for next month’s rent and essentials, but I wanted to send enough to cover a couple of months, just to be safe.

I hesitated, though, as the thought of my own rent crossed my mind.

The new property owner—what was his name again? Marv? Barth? Garth?—was coming by next week to introduce himself.

That was fine by me since I could ask him for a rent extension in person if needed. Apparently, he was Mrs. Hills’ nephew, twice removed or something like that.

Usually, I’d just mail a check to Mrs. Hills, our former landlady, but she’d passed away a few weeks ago.

At first, I’d been a little apprehensive about renting from a shifter, but Mrs. Hills had been nothing but kind. Always patient, always understanding.

When I started the business, there were times I couldn’t pay rent on time, but she’d grant me extensions with a smile, often bringing pastries to soften the conversation.

Eventually, I got over my nerves about her being a shifter.

She wasn’t like the others I’d known. She was calm, understanding... I’d been lucky to have her as a landlady.

Now, I wasn’t so sure about her nephew.

Absentmindedly, I scratched at the scar on my arm, hidden beneath my long sleeve. It was an old nervous habit I hadn’t quite shaken.

I had to stop letting my thoughts go there.

I’d been living here in Pecan Pines for over a year now—a town full of shifters—and nothing bad had happened. I was fine.

What happened before... that was in the past.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious about meeting the new landlord. I just hoped he’d be as easygoing as Mrs. Hills had been.

At the very least, I needed to figure out his name before I embarrassed myself when he showed up next week.